The elections were held during the Civil Rights Movement and the escalation of the Vietnam War.
This was the first presidential election after the ratification of the 23rd Amendment, which granted electoral votes to Washington, D.C.[2] Democratic incumbent President Lyndon B. Johnson (who took office on November 22, 1963, upon the death of his predecessor, John F. Kennedy) won a full term, defeating Republican Senator Barry Goldwater from Arizona.
In the gubernatorial elections, the Republican Party won a net gain of one seat.
This was the first time since 1948 that a Democratic presidential candidate had coattails in both houses of Congress, which would not occur again until 2008.
It was the last election cycle until 2008 in which a Democratic victory in the presidency had triggered a coattail effect down the ballot.